Malaya

The Federated Malay States, often known simply as Malaya, was a British protectorate which existed from 1895 to 1946. The British established a federation of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang in 1895, and the British government was responsible for the foreign affairs and defense of Malaya while the states were responsible for domestic issues. On 8 December 1941, Japan began its invasion of Malaya and took over the whole peninsula, in addition to Singapore, by 16 February 1942. The Japanese were responsible for the Sook Ching massacre of ethnic Chinese people in Malaya under their occupation, and the Japanese sought to implement their culture in Malaya. On 14 August 1945, the Imperial Japanese Army's last forces in Malaya surrendered to the British Army, and Malaya returned to the British Commonwealth. On 31 March 1946, Malaya became the Malayan Union.